Far From Home
by Melissa Waters
Summary: Kidnapped, tortured and far away from home, Seth Sorenson struggles to fight against the cruel torment of the remaining members of the Society of the Evening Star. Barely alive and sane, with only hope keeping him alive, he refueses to talk. At home, after years of searching, the others have a lead on the lost Sorenson sibling, but will they find him in time or will it be too late?
1. Spotted

_Cold. It was cold. _

_He felt the freezing metal against his skin and moist air through the fabric of his flannel shirt. His breath came out in puffs of white steam, pale in the grey light of the cave. _

_How long had he been there? Weeks? Months? Years? He had never felt so disconnected to the world. The endless hours of torture, mental and physical and scrambled his brain for good. He couldn't separate reality from nightmare, numbness from agony, heartache from pain. He was a shell of the person he once was, nothing but a body without a mind. _

_Seth Sorenson, after years of torture, was finally broken. _

When Seth had left the house earlier in the day, he hadn't expected it to be the last time he would see it.

It was going to a normal day, walking around the woods, venturing further out than ever before, investigating places he had never went to. Finally, after months of pleading, Seth had gotten Grandpa to relent and let him get his privileges to wander around the preserve and he had taken advantage of it immediately.

Pushing aside the thick foliage, Seth adjusted the straps on his emergency satchel and stepped over a fallen tree. He hadn't found anything interesting in the last few hours of walking and it was getting quite boring in a way. Where were all the demons and wraiths and action? He'd be exatic if he saw an imp appar from under a pile of moss.

Checking his watch, Seth sighed. He'd have to turn back soon enough, so that he wound be home at the right time. If he disobeyed, Grandpa had said sternly, he wouldn't be allowed into the woods on his own anymore. The rule made every moment precious, with so little time ina day. And now all that was wasted on nothing.

He went on for about a mile or so, before he finally decided it was time to turn back. Just as he was about to begin walking away, the faint sound of whispering reached his ears and his heart began thumping for an unknown reason and his stomach felt queasy. It wasn't the normal excitement of something happening, but a warning of some kind, a instinct deep down, telling him something was about to happen.

He searched in the surrounding area, bracing against a tree as he did, blending into the shadows with his powers. To anyone, who didn't know he was there, he would be nearly invisible.

Soon enough, two figures walked into view. Seth scrunched his brows at the centaurs, despise in his chest. Both centaurs were men, their torsos a reddish brown fur, their hair black.

_Brothers_, Seth realized and pressed closer to the tree. One of the brothers was holding a golden rimmed box with gems littered across the top. Seth couldn't help but wonder how much money he could get for them.

"Get a move on, we're already running late," one of the centaurs said to the other with a deep and commanding voice. The other one, slightly younger, huffed.

"You're not the one carrying the heavy box."

"Don't bother me with your sixty-year-old's back pain, I don't want to hear it. We have a schedule and we will not run late because you were too weak to carry a single box."

Anger flared in the younger centaur's eyes and he came to a halt, only a few steps from where Seth was standing. "How dare you accuse me for being weak, Aburnmane?"

"Watch your next words closely, Bayfur. I am your senior. Do not stand against me."

The two glared at each other for a moment, before Bayfur finally relented. "Like you said, we're wasting time. Move. The Society has been waiting long enough."

Seth felt his throat seize up as the centaurs continued their way. The Society? It was back? What was in the box? Why was it so important? Where were the centaurs going to meet with the Society? Should he follow?

He knew if he now turned back and went to the house for help, the centaur would be long gone, even if he ran. But if he followed them, he might be able to find a secret base of the remaining members of the Society. But the others wouldn't know where he was and he'd be in trouble.

The centaurs were walking further and further away, and soon Seth would lose sight of them. He made his mind, and quietly, staying in the shadows, crept after them.

For nearly an hour he trailed some ten meters behind them, carefully avoiding dry twigs, and moving through the thicket gracefully. Once or twice though, he suffered a minor heart attack when a branch snapped or his foot sent a rock flying, alerting Aburnmane and Bayfur that something was there. But they didn't know who to look for, so he remained unseen.

The sky was getting darker fast and his legs were getting tired. Who would have thought that moving slowly and silently would take more effort than moving fast and carelessly? Seth had to stop to catch his breath and then rush to keep up with his targets. The centaurs were bigger and stronger than him! They could most likely walk days on end, whereas he needed breaks! When would they reach their destination.

The answer to that question came quite abruptly. Almost literally. So focused on his own internal questions, Seth failed to notice that the brothers had stopped and nearly ran into Aburnmane's hindquarters. In fact, he came mere inches away, and would see his own breath shift the brown coat on the centaurs bum.

Backing off and retreating behind a tree, Seth took in his surroundings. They were in a part of the forest he had never seen, most likely near the outer edges of the preserve. A few meters ahead, a large clearing opened up. Around ten people stood in a half circle, dressed in long, black capes, facing the two centaurs who were now entering the clearing. As the two approached a man walked forward to greet them.

With few words exchanged, the centaurs handed over the gold and jewel embroidered box and backed away as the man examined it. For a few minutes everyone stood still, while the box was inspected carefully.

_What is going on?_ thought Seth, peering around the tree. After a moment of silence, the man finally turned to the other nine behind him.

"The artifact the Society has been searching for has been said to have disappeared thousands of years ago, destroyed by the forces of magic itself!" The man's voice was deep and powerful and a shiver ran down Seth's spine. "Those tales have now been proven true. My fellow evening stars, may I present to you the Phobean!"  
Normally, this was the point where Seth would have rolled his eyes at the overdramatics of the situation. But he couldn't stop staring.

The Society was back. The last few months after the battle at Zzyzx had been peaceful, which should have been a clear sign that something was going to happen, or that something was _very_ wrong.

He had to tell Grandpa. He had to warn the others and that way, they could prepare the Knights of the Dawn against the Society of the Evening Star once more.

He turned around and as quickly as possible, began returning the way they had gone. Mistake number one. In his haste, he became careless and failed to notice the root sticking out of the ground next to his leg and within moments of retreating, he crashed onto the ground.

The others swirled around immediately at the sound of him crashing over, loud enough for them to see through his abilities. The man, still holding the box, reacted immediately.

"Catch him! He must not get away. There can be no proof of us still existing!"

The members of the Society leapt into action, rushing towards him some with inhuman speeds. Seth stumbled to his feet and began sprinting away, his stomach sinking with each step he took.

_I'm in trouble_, he thought. _I'm in BIG trouble._

He didn't dare look back while running, so he didn't notice the spell, before it hit in and sent him tumbling to the ground. Chains, appearing out of nowhere, wrapped around his ankles and hands and a gag appeared in his mouth. On his way down a rock scratched his cheek and a twig found its place in a very uncomfortable position against his midriff.

Two strong arms grabbed the scruff of his shirt and wrenched him up and onto his feet. The smell of wet wool filled his nostrils and his eyes took in the bulking figure of the minotaur holding him.

They stared at each other for a moment, the minotaur with hate and pride of catching the boy and Seth with hidden fear. Swallowing as discreetly as possible, Seth kept his voice stable. "Is there some way we could talk about his?" he asked, but it came out muffled due to the gag.

Without missing a beat, the minotaur swirled around and trudged through the undergrowth towards the clearing where the cloaked members were gathered in a half circle once more. Seth was dragged into the opening and pushed to his knees in front of the man who had spoken.

Seth turned his head down as he man walked in front of him, sneakily gazing at his emergency satchel. He had a can of bug spray in it, and from experience, he knew it burned the eyes nearly is much as pepper spray. But with his hands chained and enemies surrounding him, there's wasn't much of a chance that he would reach the pack before one of them punched the lights out of him.

"I know who you are," the man said. "You're Seth Sorenson. Grandchild of the caretakers of Fablehaven, brother to the Fairykind. A Shadow Charmer. Killer of Graulas and Nagi Luna."

For some reason as the man spoke, a warm feeling spread across his chest. BEing known for his achievements and having a title as nerve racking as the one he did, somehow filled him with pride.

"Morax, are you sure it's him?" the minotaur asked. The man - Morax - glared at the bull man.

"Yes, I am positive of his identity and of the fact that you have just blurted out my name to the enemy!" The tone of voice made Seth flinch back, despite himself. Morax flicked his wrist at someone behind him and a cloaked figure walked forward. Seth, from the corner of his eyes, saw two other beings move to each side of the minotaur and hold him in their grip tightly. A third figure walked forward and pulled out a long dagger. Without a moment of hesitated, the figure plunged the dagger into the minotaur's chest. Seth froze and felt cold sweat forming on the back of his neck.

The minotaur collapsed onto his knees, still alive. He reached towards the figure that had stabbed him, but with a single swipe, his head was parted from his shoulders and went rolling on the ground.

Seth turned his head and looked away, closing his eyes. He struggled to keep his breathing steady, staying calm with only shier willpower. Morax tutted and continued staring at Seth as if nothing had happened. Seth could feel his eyes on him, the piercing stare on the top of his head.

"Now what do we do with you?" Morax asked quietly. Seth lifted his gaze and glared at the man. Slowly, a smile spread out onto Morax's face and his eyes shone with excitement. "Oh yes." He bowed down and brought his face close to Seth's. "I know exactly what to do with you."


	2. Shackles

Seth couldn't remember much of what had happened after the Minotaur was killed.

He remembered the man - Morax- sneering at him before something hit the back of his head and the world turned dark. Someone or something had hit him in the end with something blunt; had it been sharp, he would either be dead or bleeding out.

When Seth came to, the first thing he noticed was the cold air around him. A soft, white light illuminated his surroundings, and in it, he saw his breath coming out as white steam. With his brain still fuzzy, he slowly took in the large cavern he was in. Walls rose high into the air, approximately twenty meters, but the ceiling grew darker so he wasn't sure. A black lake surrounded him and the small patch of land he was on. He was tied to a metal chair, by the looks of it, with shackles wrapped around his wrists and ankles, making it hard to move.

Seth tried turning his head around, but his neck was jammed and only then did he realize how long he must have been unconscious. Long enough for his neck to get stuck, at least. That wasn't what he should be worried about, was it? Something more important that he should be thinking about-

Panic surged in Seth as he realized that he had no idea where he was. He had never seen the cave before and was quite sure there weren't these kinds of caverns in Fablehaven. At least not known ones. He moved his limbs, pulling at the clasps, in vain trying to free himself. Gritting his teeth he leaned forward and grunted with effort. The shackles wouldn't budge.

It wasn't a surprise really. Seth wasn't sure what he'd expected. Did he think they would break?

Taking a deep breath, Seth assessed his surroundings once more. Baby steps, Seth. What do you see?

He was in a dark cavern. That meant he must be underground.

There was a black lake around him. There were two rock pathways on either side of him, leading to the walls of the cavern. That was most likely how he had gotten here. One of the pathways must lead to a door of entrance.

The light was coming from dimply glowing stalactites sticking out of the water, spaced sparsely. Were they glowing on their own, or was their light shining on them and reflecting? He didn't see a hole anywhere where light could be coming through.

Seth looked down at himself. Was he injured?

No. There was no blood on him and though his head was pounding and there must be a bump on the back of his head from where had been hit. A black and blue at least. But otherwise, he was unharmed, it seemed.

What did he remember from before being knocked out? Not much. Nothing that he did seemed to help him figure out where he was.

Fear ached in his heart. The Society was back. He had no way of telling the others. What was the object that had been in the box? Was it the box itself? What had Morax called it? The Phone-Bean? The Phobean? It must be a really powerful artifact if the Society had been looking for it for a long time. Could it be used to hurt his family?

A clanging and screeching of metal erupted from his left and his head snapped towards it, his neck cracking painfully. Down the rock pathway, a hooded figure was approaching, a large cowl covering its face. Seth found himself starting to shrink back against the chair but willed himself to puff out his chest and stare at the thing walking towards him.

The figure's steps echoed loudly in the cavern, rhythmic and slow. As the figure stopped in front of Seth, and the steps stopped, all sounds disappeared and all was silent. The pounding of his heart filled his ears, and he feared the figure might hear it.

"Oh, I can hear you alright." Seth flinched as the figure spoke. The voice was raspy and deep and it sent shivers down his spine. Had the figure just heard his thoughts? "I can hear everything you think, Seth Sorenson. There is nothing you can hide from me."

Seth instinctively leaned back against the chair. "Who are you?" he asked quietly.

The figure stood quiet for a moment, before leaning forward. From the sleeves of his cloak, two furry, clawed hands slipped out and grabbed Seth's wrists. Red eyes shone from the hood of the cloak and a putrid smell filled Seth's nostrils. "I am your worst nightmare, Seth Soresnons. I am the thing, that will send shivers down your spine the moment you think about me. I am the person who will make you wake up screaming from nightmares. I am your worst enemy. I. Am. Death.


	3. Feeling

By the time Seth had been late for an hour, everyone was furious. When it had been a few hours, they were starting to get worried, though Grandpa was mostly mad. Kendra bit her lip, as she plucked another strand of loose string from the living room carpet while leaning against the palm of her hand. Normally, when Seth did something like this, sure she would be worried, but something felt off.

There was an unknown pit in her gut and dread in her limbs. She felt numb, unable to think straightly. She knew Seth wasn't disobeying Grandpa. Somehow she was certain of it. Something was wrong.

Grandma had made her a cup of hot chocolate to calm her nerves, but it sat still next to her, now ice cold. She hadn't taken a single sip. Her heart pound in her chest, the way it might if she was in a bad situation, but nothing was happening to her. The only other time she had felt like this, was when Seth had been chased by a bunch of older boys in school and beat up before she could come and save him. She had been showing her friends her brand knew Barbies during recess when the same feeling had come over her and she had begun searching for Seth. She got there in time before anything too serious could happen, but she knew, if she hadn't left and listened to the feeling, Seth could have been hurt much worse.

So why was the feeling back again? She knew the woods were dangerous, but Seth knew to stay out of life-threatening situations. So why? Was something happening to Seth, or had it already passed? Was he walking home, or lying on the ground somewhere, dead?

With a sigh, Kendra rubbed her eyes and flopped down onto her back and stared at the ornate chandelier above her. She tried focusing on the details but gave up after a moment.

"-skin that boy alive! I gave him his chance"

The study door swung open and hit the wall with a bang, making Kendra flinch. Grandpa stormed out and walked out of the front door and onto the porch, then proceeded to shout Seth's name and let his threats on what would happen to the boy echo in the woods.

Kendra sighed. She heard someone walk in and sit down next to her. Turning around she noticed Vanessa. "Hey, there." Kendra didn't reply and instead turned away. Vanessa shifted forward and scooted closer to her. "What's wrong?"

Kendra shook her head. " I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right."

" What do you mean?"

Kendra shrugged. " I just feel like... I just feel like something's happened to Seth."

Vanessa pulled her into a sideways hug. "He's going to be all right. He's probably on his way home now, trying to procrastinate what punishment your grandfather is going to give him," she said. Kendra chuckled.

"Taking into account the way Grandpa is acting, procrastination is only going to make things worse." Vanessa smiled slightly but furrowed her brows as the younger girl's smile fell.

"This isn't an average bad feeling, is it?" asked Vanessa. Kendra shook her head once more.

"No. It's… It's not normal. It's not a feeling. I know something is wrong. Very wrong." Kendra stared into her friend's eyes and fear clutched her hear. "Something's happened to him."

Vanessa gazed back at her, before nodding. "I'll gather my stuff and fetch Warren. We'll begin searching for him immediately."

Little did they know, that the youngest Sorenson sibling was in deeper trouble than they could have guessed and already hundreds of miles away.


	4. Blood

"I am Death."

Seth would have snorted had he not been terrified out of his skin. Still, he forced some words out of his mouth. "Death, huh? Where's your scythe then? Shouldn't you have one? At least that's how they picture you in every history book in the world. But don't worry. You have the dead people smell and black robe so you're already ⅔ of the way there."

Death growled and Seth's heart sank again. He leaned even closer and Seth made out fur and big teeth underneath the hood and had to use every ounce of willpower not to turn away.

"You're scared, Seth Sorenson. Don't try to act otherwise. There is no fooling me. Now…"

Death stood back up, and Seth felt the claws slicing his wrists in the movement. Blood slid down the sides of his wrists, slowly. Death lifted his claws to his hood and Seth heard a licking noise.

"You blood has a strong taste, Seth Sorenson. It is not pure, but it is not dark either. Not something you would expect from a Shadow Charmer. You have a good heart. That makes you weak. Which means you break easily. So I'll make what little time I have with you worth my time."

A blur of brown flashed in front of Seth's eyes and his head snapped to the right. It took a moment for the stinging to set in. It started out dull, like a paper cut. But then the pain intensified. Blood slid down his face, into his eyes and mouth, and off of his chin onto his shirt.

Seth gasped as Death flicked his other hand, sending Seth's head in the other direction, slicing his cheek open. He then grabbed Seth's shoulders and pushed him against the back of the chair, digging his claws into the teenager's shoulders. Seth cried out as the claws shredded his muscle and blood poured out of the wounds. He fought against his restraints, but they stayed put, locking him in place.

If only he knew how to use his powers! Hadn't the Sphinx once said that he might be able to open locks with his mind if he trained hard enough? That would have been very useful right then.

Death reared back, retracting his claws from the boy's shoulders, before clawing him right across the chest. Within moments, his shirt was in tatters, soaked with blood. Seth had known pain before. He had felt pain when the Revenant had chocked him. He had known pain when Graulas threw him against the cave wall, breaking all his bones. He had known pain when Graulas had clawed him and poisoned him. But his was different.

Death wasn't trying to kill him. He was torturing him.

Seth threw head back and screamed as Death moved onto his legs. HIs tight muscles were cut open, wounds going down to the bone. His torturer dragged his claws down the soft flesh of the boy, a delighted snarl echoing from his throat.

For what seemed like hours, but what was only a few minutes, Death stepped back and looked at his handiwork. Seth sat, whimpering in the chair, blood pouring from his wounds. His skin was already pale from the blood loss and he was just about as close to oblivion as anyone could be.

He was dying, and Death knew it. Slowly, Death moved forward again. Seth closed his eyes, waiting for more pain, but his eyes flew open as Death's rough tongue began licking his wounds. He fought against the creature, but red eyes shot up to his furiously.

"Unless you want to bleed to death, I suggest you let me do this." So Seth sat still, not daring to move in fear of the pain getting worse. Slowly but surely, the blood flow stopped, clogged by Death's saliva, but the wounds still remained. He would live to see another day. And that was a decision would haunt him for the rest of his life.


	5. Tracks

"Seth! Seth Sorenson! Bud, where are you?" Warren pushed aside a branch and shone his flashlight around him in a circle. The light caught a movement on his right and for a moment Warren thought he might have found something, but immediately recognized Vanessa's long brown hair, red shirt, and leather pants and sighed. "You find anything?"

Vanessa shook her head. "Nothing. It's going to take us weeks, even months, to find him. If he's even here. He could have returned to the house already."

Warren shook his head. "You told me Kendra felt that something had happened to him. I know that feeling. I've had it a few times before when something has happened to Dale and I haven't been around. It's some sort of link between siblings. If she says something has happened, something has happened."

Vanessa nodded and moved to stand next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll keep searching then. Until we find him."

Warren gave her a sad smile and turned his flashlight around once more. And froze. There, on the ground, was a satchel. Warren rushed forward and lifted it off the ground. Scorched from one side and with blood soaking the other, the emergency satchel was all but destroyed.

Horror clutched Warren's heart in a tight grip and his eyes flew around him. "SETH! SETH! ANSWER ME!"

Panic took over, Warren plunged into the thicket, looking around wildly, pushing over whatever stood in his way. Vanessa was telling him to calm down, but his brain wasn't registering anything else but the destroyed object in his hand. He was so focused on trying to find some clue about what had happened that he failed to notice the cliff before his foot slipped on the wet grass on the edge and he toppled forward.

A firm hand caught the back of his shirt and wrenched him back and onto the ground. Vanessa twisted his arm, grabbed his shirt and flipped him onto the ground and pressed her hand on his chest. Her eyes burned furiously and she slapped him. Hard.

"You listen to me very closely now, Burgess! I do not need you going crazy on me right now. I do not need you being irresponsible! And I most definitely do not need you falling off a cliff because you're too much of an idiot to pay attention to where you're going! Do you think you being splattered on the rocks thirty meters below us will help us find Seth? Get yourself together and come and help me figure out what happened here!"

Warren nodded quickly. He loved Vanessa, true. But when she was mad, he was more terrified than in love. And she was really scaring him now. With a firm grip, Vanessa pulled him to his feet and dusted him off. She then grabbed the satchel out of his hands and examined it closely.

"There are scorch marks, alright. Really hot fire. It's a wonder that the satchel isn't crisp though. If this was natural fire or fire from an attacker, the satchel would be toast. It was deliberately burned and then put out. And that blood?" Vanessa sniffed at the dried liquid. "That's not human blood. It's the blood of some creature. Minotaur maybe."

Warren stared in wonder, finally beginning to calm down. At least someone knew what they were doing.

Vanessa gently opened the satchel and rummaged what was inside. "Everything's where it should be, so Seth didn't take anything out. "

"You know what's in his emergency kit?"

Vanessa gave rolled his eyes at him. "Of course I do. I helped him upgrade it. Anyway, I don't think he got in a fight of any kind, at least not one where he would have had time to take out anything useful. Either something attacked him suddenly, or nothing attacked him at all."

Warren walked over to her, not understanding. "What do you mean?"

Vanessa didn't reply. Instead, her eyes began looking over the ground around them. After a while, she stopped underneath a thick tree and looked closely at one of the branches. She then moved to a tree further away, examining another branch in a similar way. "Something moved on these branches. I think it was carrying the satchel and left it somewhere here, thinking that if it stayed in the air it wouldn't be tracked to the place where everything happened."

"Where everything happened?" Warren motioned her to explain. An exasperated sigh escaped Vanessa's lips and she glared at him and swung her arm around them.

"Do you see any signs of a struggle?" Warren didn't. He looked down shamefully. "Which means, that if there was a struggle, it didn't happen here. Someone or something tried to dispose of the emergency kit and throw anyone off searching for its owner."

Warren bit his lip. "So something or someone attacked him? Deliberately made it look like he was dead, by soaking the satchel in blood and burning it. That way it would look like Seth was dead and whoever would be searching for him would stop."

Vanessa nodded. "Exactly."

"But what if he really is dead?" he asked quietly. Without answering, Vanessa headed forward at a brisk pace, sometimes checking the nearby trees for marks, before continuing.

Soon enough they reached a clearing. Vanessa stopped at the edge, looking around slowly her brows scrunched. She motioned for Warren to stay put and then walked out into the open, moving lightly. She looked up and down at seemingly nothing in the air, but Warren didn't intervene. "Fablehaven's border," she mumbled. She turned around and Warren saw her crouch on the ground in several places and trace her fingers along something. "There were a few people standing here. Some creatures. And... " she gave him a meaningful look," a minotaur."

She then walked briskly past him, eyes roaming the earth pushing away shrubs. She came to a halt and knelt on the ground a few meters away from where the clearing ended and stared at the ground. Warren moved to stand next to her.

"What did you find?" he asked.

Vanessa pointed at the faint footprints on the ground. "These look about the right size to belong to a thirteen-year-old boy, don't you think?" Warren nodded, even though Vanessa couldn't see him. The young woman took a few steps forward, staying crouched, before stopping once more and kneeling. "Look at this."

Warren crouched next to her. "Looks like somebody took a tumble here."

Vanessa nodded. "There's a root sticking out there. Maybe that's the reason for the fall?"

They were quiet for a moment until Vanessa shook her head and rose. Warren looked around and saw another sign about a tumble a few feet away and an odd pattern of dents. "Look at this," he said."Another fall. And those marks look like chains. Look at the way the dents are in a pattern."

He walked closer and noticed a small splotch of dried blood on a rock. Vanessa appeared next to him. He looked up at her. "Human blood?"

She nodded. "It's the right color." She moved a few feet away and began following the large hoof marks in the mud back to the clearing. "Someone was on their knees here. Then they fell down and based on the small marks there, they were lifted up. Then the prints disappear into the woods."

"So…" Warren felt worry in his chest once more. "They took Seth with them? Whoever they are." Vanessa nodded and scrunched her brow in worry as she gazed into the woods.

"Exactly. And whoever took him is already long gone."


	6. True Form

It wasn't until a week later, that Death finally began asking questions.

Every day had been hours upon hours of torture, ending with Seth either losing consciousness, or Death stopping to keep him alive. It seemed that whatever Death was, his saliva had healing properties since after licking Seth's wounds, they would close up withing in the hour and all the lost blood would be replaced in only a few. Which meant, that an hour later, Death would return and start everything all over again. Death fed and gave him water each day, but they tasted so terrible that he vomited them out each time.

Not once in the time, he had been there, had Seth been able to sleep. The torture kept him awake and one hour was too little to try and get to sleep when only closing his eyes would mean seeing Death's red eyes glaring at him. The sight would make everyone wide awake.

The pain never truly left him. Even when the wounds were healed, there was a dull ache in them. Most likely, the saliva healed them, but not all the way, and it would take longer for the wounds to be completely gone.

These were the thoughts in Seth's head for the first week. After that, it was one simple sentence.

_Don't talk._

That was it. The one sentence, that kept repeating itself.

_Don't talk._

So he didn't. Anytime Death shot a question about the Knights of Dawn at him, he sealed his mouth shut and stared defiantly at his torturer. He kept silent, or at least he didn't form words. He didn't count agonized screaming as talking.

It was week three now, and Seth was still holding onto hope that someone would come and rescue him. His family wouldn't leave him there, would they? No, they would come and get him. Any day now. They would save him. But he was losing hope.

The scraping of claws on stone echoed through the cavern and Seth's head snapped to the left. Death was approaching, carrying a leather bundle under one arm. As he got closer, Seth felt his heart began beating faster and cold sweat gathering on his brow. Pure terror filled his mind and he had to fight not to think about his warm and safe bed in Fablehaven.

_Don't talk_, he told himself. _Don't think._

Death stopped in front of him and they stared at each other for a moment. "What fun things should we do today?"

_'Today', huh?_ Seth thought, trying to distract himself._ Another day, then_. Death scoffed.

"Seth, you're going to give me the information that I want at some point. Whether it is to save you from torture, or the result of too much of it, I don't care. But you'll drive yourself to insanity if you try to keep yourself from thinking about all your knowledge about the Knights of the Dawn!" Death said 'all your knowledge about the Knights of the Dawn' very loudly and immediately Seth's mind flew to Warren, the first Knight he had known personally. He then cursed himself and thought about cheese crackers.

Death huffed and set down the leather bundle. He then rolled it open, revealing a dozen knives and wires, all of them covered in the blood of those they had been used on before. Seth turned away from them, though he kept Death in view.

_Cheese crackers, cheese crackers, cheese crackers…_ he thought frantically.

Death brandished a ragged-edged knife.

_Lots of cheese crackers!_

Death moved closer and set the knife on this lower arm.

**_With blue cheese!_**

The ragged edge of the knife dug into his arm and he grunted, pulling at his shackles. The blade sunk deeper into his arm as Death pulled it back and forth and soon enough Seth was gasping in pain.

"Where is the Knights' headquarters?" Death shouted. Seth focused on the stalagmites in the water. The knife sunk deeper, cutting into the bone. A scream tore from his throat as the knife ripped his muscle and tore his tendons apart. "Tell me!"

Seth rained a few choice words at him which only resulted in a hard twist of the knife and the snapping of a bone. Seth arched his back against the chair and screamed. Death stuck the knife through the back of Seth's hand, embedding it into the metal armrest beneath, before crouching and picking up a sharper and smaller knife.

Death moved onto Seth's upper body and began slicing lines all over his chest. The pain, mixed with the questions raining on him made his brain fuzzy. Within minutes, his body was covered in blood and his throat was sore from screaming. Tears were sliding down his face when Death stopped and set the knife down.

Closing his eyes, Seth lowered his head, watching his tears spill onto the blood on his chest, leaving streaks sliding down his torso.

Death took a step back and admired his work. "Are you broken yet, Seth Sorenson?" he asked. Seth lifted his eyes to meet Deaths.

"Not nearly," he grumbled through clenched teeth. Death chuckled.

"I must admit, you are stronger than I expected. Stronger than some of the grown men I have tortured. But few have been able to stand to look at my true form. I think it's time we try if you can."

Slowly, Death reached up to open his cloak, and it fell to the ground. Seth held back a horrified gasp as he stared at the towering figure in front of him. Grey fur ran all over the humanoid figure. Red eyes shone in sunken eyesockets, yellow claws extended from his hands. Death's knees were bent the wrong way and his feet were large, his nails sharp as knives. Large teeth, the tips turned red from all the flesh they had torn, sat in the creature's mouth, visible as Death growled.

"What are you?" Seth asked with a trembling voice. Death's grin sent shivers down his spine.

"I am a werewolf."

"A werewolf? You howl at the moon and stuff?"

Death gave a disgusted growled. "My kind despises that story. No. We were born like this, we do not change into wolves under the full moon. That is a lie. An insult. And if I was in your place, I wouldn't be so fast to insult me."

Seth shrunk back as Death leaned forward and put his face only inches away from Seth's. "Well, boy? Are you ready to tell me what I want to know?"

Seth forced himself to stare back. "Go to Hell," he hissed.

Death chuckled. "There's one thing, that you're about to learn, Seth Sorenson." His laugh turned dark. "We're already here."


	7. Vision

Kendra hadn's slept in weeks. Not since Warren and Vanessa had returned with Seth's emergancy kit, with no clue about where he had gone. The days after finding the kit, they had tried tracking the footsteps of Seth's captors, but had only been lead to a dirt road with tire marks that then lead to a highway and they lost the tracks. Vanessa interperted the car's model to be a Ford Focus, but that didn't give much clue to who had taken Seth and where they might be now.

Instead of sleeping, she stayed up in the light of a candle and scribbled into her notebook. Wether it was writing or drawings, she didn't put her pen down. The notebook had become an escape of a kind in the last few weeks. She never put it down, and when she felt like writing or drawing, she did. At first everyone had thought it to be odd, but had further stopped questioning it.

A gentle cough burst Kendra's thought bubble and she turned her head around in the beackchair. Warren stood in the patio, his hands in his pockets. He looked slightly awkward as he walked forward to stand next to where she lay.

They didn't say anything to each other for a moment. They just stood in silence. From the corner of her eye, Kendra saw Warren bite his lip.

"I… um…" Warren gave her a side-long glance and sighed. "Ruth is making some lemonade inside. Would you want some?"

Kendra turned and smiled at him. "Thank you, Warren, I'd love some."

Her cousin smiled at her gently then gave her a gentle kiss on the top of her head, before walking back into the house. Kendra leaned back against the chair and closed her eyes.

"_KENDRA!"_

_Kendra's eyes flew open as water splashed over her, soaking her completely. _

"_Seth!" she screamed murderously, taking off her sunglasses and wiping her face off. Seth floated in the pool, grinning like an idiot. "Seth, you jerk, why do you have to be such an idiot?"_

_Seth laughed and began a ridiculous victory dance, while Kendra grabbed one of her flip-flops and brought it over her head. As Seth spun around in his dance, she flung the shoe directly at him, hitting him square in the face. Dropping back into the water but coming up in mere moments, Seth was howling in laughter. _

"_Oh, man, Kendra, you just did the mom-shoe-throw! You're no supposed to know that before you're like fourty!"_

_Kendra shook her head, smiling and grabbed another shoe. Seth dove underneath the water just in time to avoid getting hit. He then retaliated by grabbing both flip-flops and flinging them back at his sister. _

Kendra's eyes flew open and she bolted awake in her chair. Though the dream dan't been a nightmare, her brow was drenched in cold sweat and her arms were covered in goosebumps.

Wiping her eyes and brow, Kendra took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was at a loss. It was a miracle she hadn't collapsed from exhaustion before now for not sleeping for so long, but she was too afraid to go to sleep, becuase every time she accidentally dozed off, she would be transported back to a memory of her and Seth when they were still together, as she had a moment ago. When Seth was safe.

Kendra got up out of her chair and bent down near the edge of the pool and pushed her face in. The cold water helped bring her out of the drowziness, though only for a moment.

The patio door opened and Warren walked out with two lemonade glasses in his hands. Kendra gave him a small smile before submerging herself in the water again. All sounds disappeared and she felt her hair slowly drifting apart, flowing in the light waves the breeze caused in the water.

And suddenly, she was back in the memory again. Except she didn't rememeber it being like this.

She was in a dark pool swimming with Seth, who floating around, unmoving. Kendra opened her eyes and saw the hazy detalis of her brother's face and lurched back in horror. His face was sunken, his eyes dull. Blood was pouring out of wounds on his body, puss gathering along cuts and bruises. His clothes were in rags, barely staying together and his skin was as pale as the first fallen snow. Kendra swam towards him, screaming his name, bubbles rising from her mouth, but with every stroke she took, she sunk deeper and deeper, farther and farther.

She couldn't breathe and water was pouring into her lungs. She struggled agaisnt the water, pushed to the surface, but her efforts only made her sink deeper.

"Kendra," Seth's toneless voice filled her mind and suddenly he was there next to her, staring at her with his emotionless eyes. "Find me, Kendra. Find me."

She wanted to scream his name, tell him to kick towards the surface, but he disappeared once more.

"Kendra… Kendra… KENDRA!"  
Water spurted from her lungs as she was wrenched up from the pool and laid onto the soft grass. Warren's blurred figure was crouched over her, holding her as she heaved, rubbing circles onto her back. Grandma's worried voice rang somewhere in the distance, and Kendra heard bits and pieces of Warren explaining to Grandma how she had fallen into the pool after losing consciousness due to exhaustion.

Seth's emotionless face was burned into her mind, his eyes staring through her. Her shoulders started shaking and tears began streaming down her face. Warren pulled her into his arms and held her as she sobbed. All the pressure and worry of the last few weeks exploded out of her, the horror of seeing her brother's bloody and beaten face making warm tears pour out of her eyes.

She had no doubt now. Something horrible had happened and was happening to her little brother at the very moment. Panic surged inside of her, and she grabbed Warren's collar and pulled him closer.

"We need to find him, Warren! He was there, he told me to find him! Warren he's hurt, someone's hurting him we need to save him . . ."

The words spurted out of her mouth so quickly that Warren could barely catch a word or two. He told her to calm down, but Kendra felt even more terrified. "Kens-"

"He's hurt, Warren! You didn't see him, he was dying! Do you hear me; he was dying! He is dying, right now, and he's scared! He looked so real, he was… he was…" Bursting into tears once more, Kendra laid her head against her cousin's chest and loosened her grip on his shirt. Warren held her tighter as she sobbed, giving a worried glance at Ruth. Whatever Kendra was talking about, it had scared her. It had scared her bad. And putting together whatever he had pieced from her words, he knew it was about Seth. And it didn't sound good.


	8. Whips

When Seth woke up, there were two wooden poles stuck in the ground in front of him, some two meters apart. How they had gotten there and when he had no idea.

Death had left him after licking his wounds, and for one whole hour, Seth had waited for him to come back, dreading the moment he would. But he never did. Hours passed, and finally, Seth passed out into a rather deep sleep; the deepest and longest he had slept in the last three weeks. He suspected it had been nearly twelve hours and wondered why Death had never come back.

His eyes were still blurry from sleeping, and since his hands were chained, he couldn't lift his hand to rub them. After a few minutes, the poles came into focus and Seth felt his stomach drop. Two chains with shackles were connected to each pole. Both poles were covered in blood and deep gashes.

Seth leaned forward to study them more when the familiar screeching of a heavy door opening filled the cavern and he leaned back against his chair. Death walked down the pathway, covered in his cloak, but with his head bare. But, this time he wasn't alone. Two cloaked figures followed closely behind and Seth wondered if they had been there when he had been kidnapped. Seth shivered as Death neared and leaned back against his chair as far as he could. As far away from Death as he could.

Despite the obviousness of him being awake, Death backhanded him right across the cheek, making him cry out. Before the boy could recover, Death sent a punch into his gut, forcing the air out of his lungs.

"Try anything, and I'll make it hurt worse," the werewolf hissed, then snapped his fingers. The shackles disappeared from around Seth's legs and Death wrenched him up to his feet. The sudden movement and the fact that he had been sitting for the last twenty one days or so, made his legs give away immediately. He found himself being held up only by Death's hard grip, which wasn't very pleasant since his claws were digging into Seth's flesh because of it.

The two figures who had entered with Death walked over to one pole each and held out the shackles attached to them and clipped them on around Seth's wrists. Death let go of him and Seth collapsed, feeling as if his shoulders were being pulled out of their sockets. The chains were too high to let him stand, but too low to lift him off the ground. It was very uncomfortable and painful.

His back was to Death and the other two figures, but he heard a set of footsteps retreating and suspected that the unknown things had left, leaving him and Death alone, which terrified Seth to his core.

SNAP!

Seth flinched at the sound he had heard many a time in the movies he had seen when he was younger and living near Rochester. The snap of a whip.

Seth heard Death's cloak fall to the ground and watched as he walked slowly around to stand in front of Seth. The whip hung loosely in his grip, dragging on the ground, as we moved.

Seth felt his heart throwing a Halloween party in his chest, filling him with terror and foreboding. He stared into Death's red eyes as the creature leaned in closer.

"We're trying a new type of torture today. You haven't told me what I have wanted to know, before, so maybe a little change will make you more… cooperative. "

Seth gulped and sealed his mouth. Death gave out a dark chuckle as if he had expected it all along. Walking behind Seth once more, he stopped and there was silence.

**SNAP!**

The thin leather sunk into Seth's back, going an inch deep and slicing a long line down his back. Seth let out a bloodcurdling scream and lurched against his chains.

SNAP!

SNAP!

SNAP!

Tears spilled out of Seth's eyes and he felt the familiar feeling of his throat beginning to hurt from the screaming. And the questions began once more.

"What are the names of each Knight?"

"Where are the artifacts hidden?"

"Where is the entrance to the Fairy Kingdom?"

Within minutes, Seth had lost consciousness several times. The pain always brought him back, unfortunately. He begged Death to stop, plead him to cease the torture. Death always shot back with the same question: "Are you ready to cooperate yet?"

He always shook his head, but deep down he knew, at some point, he would break, and nothing would keep him quiet.


	9. Hallucination?

After the incident at the pool, Warren had carried Kendra's weak body to the attic, where he had set her down on her bed and tucked her in. He'd told her to get some sleep and after weeks of being awake, she finally slipped into oblivion.

She slept for several days, waking up only to drink, eat and go to the bathroom. Warren brought her warm soup every day, while Vanessa cleaned her up in the shower. Kendra didn't remember much from the next week, even the parts of her being awake were fuzzy, like her dreams.

Each time she went back to sleep she was scared of seeing her brother's face again, but he never appeared. It was over a week later, that Kendra made her way down from the attic, leaning against the wall heavily in an effort to hold herself up.

She found the others sitting around the table, conversing quietly, a large map spread out on in the middle. As Kendra stumbled forward, the others turned to look at her and Warren rushed to her side and helped her sit down in a chair, while scolding her about getting up without one of them helping. Through refreshed by all the sleep, Kendra still felt weak and thanked her cousin for the help and apologized.

"Are you feeling alright, dear?" Grandma asked. Kendra nodded and gave her grandmother a smile.

She nudged her head towards the map. "What are you doing?"

Warren moved away from her and leaned against the table, bowing his head. "We're trying to figure out the whereabouts of your brother. We sent some fairies to the clearing where he was most likely taken, to see if they could pick up something we couldn't. "

"Well did they?"

Warren grimaced. "In a way, yes. It doesn't help us very much, though." He lifted his head and looked at the others as if to see if it was okay to tell Kendra what they knew, in fear of making her stressed. Grandpa nodded. "They picked up some traces of his magic. But though a Shadow Charmer's magic is different from other dark magic, it's very hard to trace and we could get distracted by other dark creature's auras if we tried to follow his. It will be hard, nearly impossible, but there is a chance, that we can follow his magic to where he is now."

Kendra felt a glimmer of hope inside of her, but it was soon shot down when images of Seth's pale and bloodied face filled her mind. She felt a shiver go down her spine and she gripped the sides of her chair tightly.

Tanu rose from his seat and put a large hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should lay down for a minute. This is all too stressful for you to be worrying about in your present state." Kendra nodded slightly and Tanu led her to the living room and set her down on the sofa. Within minutes, Grandma had made a cup of hot chocolate and was sitting next to her on the sofa.

She pulled Kendra under her arm and held her close.

"Grandma?" Kendra whispered. "When I fell into the pool, the other day… I saw something." Grandma shifted herself to look at Kendra and motioned her to continue. "I… I saw Seth. I saw him. He was right there next to me, saying my name. But he was. . ." Kendra took a shaky breath. "He was pale and covered in cuts and bruises. He was dying, Grandma. He was dying and he was telling me to find him."

Grandma opened her mouth to say something, but Kendra didn't let her speak. "And, I know, that it could've been a hallucination because I hadn't slept, but deep down, I know that at least some part of it was true." Kendra bit back a sob. "Something terrible is happening to him, and I know it. And there's nothing I can do about it."

Silent tears streaked down her face and she leaned into her grandmother one more.

Grandma was silent next to her, holding her close her brows knit together in thought. They stayed like that for a moment, before Kendra pulled back and rubbed her eyes.

"We'll find him, dear," Grandma said. "I promise."

Granda smoothed down the hair on Kendra's head, gave Kendra a warm smile and told her to relax on the sofa. She made Kendra lay down, kissed her forehead and walked away after a comforting word or two.

Even as Grandma walked away, Kendra felt a dread deep in her bones; fear so overwhelming it made her heart start pounding.

Had she seen something in that pool, other than a hallucination? Was there some meaning to it? Or was she simply going mad?


	10. Escape Attempt

The day after he had been whipped, Seth tried escaping. He didn't get very far.

In the few short months that had passed after Zzyzx, Seth had secretly tried training his powers. The Sphinx had once told him that a Shadow Charmer - when in control of his powers - could open locks. This had been the first thing Seth had tried learning, imagining the times he would end uplocked up in the attic after one of his stunts.

Learning it was a bore and he didn't seem to be getting it, but finally, after hours and hours of staring at the locked chest full of toys in the attic, with a final click, the lock opened. At that time, he could never have imagined what the skill would help him in.

The moment that Death had disappeared out of the door after hours of torment, Seth had set to work. He focused on the shackles on his hands and closed his eyes. He imagined the mechanics inside, trying to feel his way into and through the lock. In his mind's eye, he saw the small pistons and forced them to move. It took a noticeable amount of tries, but one by one, a small click could be heard and soon enough the shackles opened and clattered onto the ground.

Seth cringed as the noise echoed around him and prepared himself for the sound of Death barging in angrily… but was met by silence. Perhaps the cavern was soundproof? Or Death was simply too far away.

Rising from the chair as fast as he could - which wasn't very fast - Seth clutched the armrests hard to keep himself up. Something in Death's saliva may have made him survive without food or water but the lack of both had weakened his body, not to mention all his injuries. Though his wounds were healing and they weren't as bad as when they had been inflicted, he had to restrain himself from crying out.

Pain flared under his skin, in the burns and cuts littering his torso and his legs nearly gave away from beneath him. This was going to be a lot harder than he had originally thought.

After a few deep breaths, he took the first step and promptly fell face-first onto the floor. He had underestimated the amount of pain walking would bring him. Which meant his escape seem even more impossible than it already was. Still, he wasn't going to give up.

Pushing himself back to his feet, Seth focused on the door and began stumbling forward, gritting his teeth together tightly as he did. He had to stop more than once to catch his breath, and in those moments, he made sure to remember the faces of everyone he loved.

With every step, he imagined Kendra standing just a few feet away, urging him on, telling him to keep moving. With every labored breath he took, he imagined Warren telling him to keep fighting. With every heartbeat, he imagined the warm embraces of his family, the rare occasions that they happened. He made a mental note to give everyone a massive hug when he got back.

When. He focused on that word. When. Not if. When.

A few feet from the door, Seth's foot caught on a loose rock and he tumbled to the ground, barely catching himself on his arms. His head hit the floor with a crack and for a moment, he only saw darkness. Groaning, Seth dragged himself the final hundred centimeters and leaned against the door. Lifting a hand to his forehead, Seth brought his fingers away, now covered in blood.

The horrible rock of realization plummeted into the pit of his stomach and Seth squeezed his eyes shut in desperation.

He was only human. Sooner or later he would give in to all the torture. That's why he was escaping. But he had no idea where he was, and no idea of how to get out. What if behind the door was a hundred demons? He could never fight them in the state he was in, even with his ever healing wounds.

All hope of escape suddenly crumbled. Scenarios of failure flashed through his mind and he buried his face in his hands. He took a breath and focused once more.

"Get up, Seth." Kendra's voice ran through his mind. Keeping his eyes closed, Seth savored the soft voice and with a weak smile remembered all the times he had told her to shut up. "Get up. Move. Escape."

"I can't," he whispered, knowing well enough that the voice wasn't real. "I can't escape. I won't make it."

"Seth, it's either you escape, or you stay here and continue getting tortured. At some point, you're going to crack. It might be today, it may be in a few years. There's no way of knowing. But you won't get to escape twice. It's not possible. You have one chance." Seth breathed in deeply and put his jaw forward in determination. "You either escape now, or you die trying."

Seth opened his eyes, half expecting to see Kendra there, but was met by only emptiness. Same as always. But he wasn't going to give up. He had gotten this far. He wasn't going to stop now.

With a grunt, Seth turned his gaze up and focused on the door. Made of a material he couldn't recognize in the dim lighting, the door seemed somewhat medieval. From his place on the ground the door seemed much larger than it was but was perhaps half-a-foot longer than an average door back at home.

A metal doorhandle mounted the door somewhat halfway and Seth grabbed onto it, using it to pull himself back up. Grunting with the effort, Seth took a moment to breathe, leaning his whole weight on the door. It budged.

Flinching, Seth looked at the door as it began inching open. Bracing himself against the doorframe, he pushed at it, grimacing at the strain it put on the whip wounds on his back.

Slowly but surely, the door began moving some more and soon enough, it had widened enough to let Seth through.

Seth was taken aback for a moment when he looked at the small space between door and wall. When he had come here, he would never have fit through something like that. But he was undoubtedly in bad shape and had lost several pounds, so he was scrawnier than before.

Still grabbing onto the door, Seth peeked through the crack and peered around to see what was on the other side.

There were no guards, which made sense since he could barely hold himself upright. No one would expect him to try and escape, or, at least, that he would succeed in it.

He wasn't sure if he believed he could do it either.

Stop it! he commanded himself. You're going to make it out.

Looking around, the only thing he saw were walls. Grey, stone walls, not much higher than the door and spaced only several meters apart. The space felt so small compared to the cavern he was used to and made his hair stand up on edge with unfamiliarity.

Creeping forward, leaning onto walls, Seth bit back gasps with every breath he took. Pain was shooting through his body in short blasts, threatening to make him stumble onto the floor. But he refused to give in. He had gotten this far. He wasn't going to stop now.

The walls continued for several meters, before ending at a T-intersection some ten meters away, lit dimply by an unseen light. There was magic in these halls, he knew. Dark magic. He could feel it deep down inside him, his magic fluttering around from the closeness of another source.

Every time Seth had to stop to take a breath, he would listen for footsteps or anything else that might signify that someone was approaching him from somewhere ahead. But everything was silent.

Sweat beaded Seth's forehead, sliding into his eyes with every step he took. His muscles burned, his wounds stretched, but he refused to stop. The intersection neared slowly, and by the time he made it there, Seth felt the urge to throw up.

Fatigue ached his muscles, his breath was coming out in short gasps and the world was spinning around him. Grasping the wall, Seth took a moment to gather his thoughts and then peeked around the corner again.

Nothing. He turned his head and looked down the other hallway. His heart jumped into his throat and it took every ounce of his willpower not to lurch back. There, only ten meters down the hallway stood two minotaurs. Long spears mounted with silver tips were grasped in their hands. In front of them stood a figure in a dark, black cloak.

Death.

Slowly, without causing movement that might catch the eye, Seth retreated from the intersection and leaned against the wall. All hopes of escape left him, and desperation took hold. Something was tugging at the back of his mind, a reminder of something he should know, but his mind was too fuzzy to sort it out.

Looking back, the only thing he saw was the door that lead to the cavern; the cavern he never wanted to see again. There was the hallways Death was in. And the hallway going the opposite way, only if he went that way, he would be seen.

The nagging in his mind wouldn't stop and suddenly it hit him.

Pressing himself against the wall, Seth made himself blend into the shadows. The dim lighting made the walls perfect for shade walking and even in his weakened state it was easy to blend in.

Slowly, Seth walked back closer to the intersection, his heart pounding, a part of him saying that his powers weren't working. He rounded the corner.

Death raised his head and looked his way.

Seth froze in fear.

There was a moment of tense silence. Then Death turned away and Seth relaxed the but cheeks he didn't know he'd been clenching. Slowly, he turned around and began his slow progress away, making as little noise as possible, knowing it would attract attention, though, with Death and the minotaurs conversion, there was little chance they would hear him.

The speed he was walking in was agonizingly slow, to begin with, but with the pressure of being discovered, it was even worse. Now and then, he would turn back to make sure that no one was coming at him. Each time, the minotaurs and Death were in the same place as before.

So he was more than surprised, when he turned around to check, only to find Death standing behind him, glaring down at him with his red eyes.

Before Seth could make a sound, Death grabbed his hair and bashed his face into the wall.

Blood exploded from his nose as it cracked against the wall. The taste of copper filled his mouth as he gasped painfully, his face still pressed against the rough stone.

"I hope you weren't trying to escape," Death hissed into his ear.

Seth forced a smile, through the pain and muttered into the wall: "Of course not. I was merely trying to locate the bathrooms. You really should put up maps around the place, I had no idea where to go."

Seth crashed against the wall again as Death smashed him at it once more. Crumbling to the ground in a heap, Seth vaguely felt the two minotaurs he had seen with Death grab his arms and start dragging him away.

His eyes widened at the thought of more torture, worse than before because of his attempted escape. Gritting his teeth he tried to fight the holds of his captors. "No!" he screamed, fighting their holds, but unable to so much as loosen their grips. Turning his head as the rounded the corner, Seth saw the door back to cavern several meters away and horror surged through him. "NO!"

He was dragged through the door, back into the cavern. Peering over his shoulder, Seth caught sight of his metal chair and fought harder. Panic clung to him, adrenaline pumping through his veins, but even then, he couldn't match the strength of the minotaurs.

Shackles clasped onto his wrists and ankles once more, this time tighter than they had ever been, digging into his skin painfully. A leather gag was stuffed into his mouth by one of the minotaurs before they walked away in silence.

Seth attempted to scream at them, pleading for them to let him go, but his voice was muffled by the gag.

The last thing he knew before the doors closed after the minotaurs, was the delighted grin on Death's face and the fact, that his torture was about to get much, much worse.


	11. Phobean

Kendra stared out of the window of the SUV, tapping her hand rapidly against her knee. Warren sat at the wheel of the car, peering at the neverending road ahead with a determined gaze.

"The road is empty, Warren, can't you drive faster?" Kendra demanded, looking up at her cousin. Warren shook his head.

"We'll do no good for Seth if we're lying dead on the side of the road after crashing for speeding," he replied calmly.

His calmness infuriated Kendra, though she knew that he was just as worried for Seth as she was. But this was their first clue of where Seth may have been taken to since his disappearance a month ago, given to them by a group of fairies that had sensed a great deal of dark magic from a cave some two hundred miles from Connecticut.

It seemed that he had been gone longer. Though he had spent a large part of his disappearance in a deep sleep, which she blamed herself for. She should have been out there, searching for him, and instead she had been _sleeping_!

Vanessa leaned forward from the backseat."I'm with Kendra on this one, Warren. Whoever took Seth won't care about the speed limit; neither should you."

A smile formed on Warren't lips. "Well, now that you put it like that. . ."

The car lurched forward, pushing Kendra back against her seat and she returned her gaze to the road, now speeding at and past her, a smile spreading onto her lips for the first time in weeks. They were on their way to find Seth. He was coming home.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

The hours after his attempted escape slid past slowly, filled with dread for what was about to come. He almost hated the waiting more than the actual torture. Almost.

Dried blood stuck to his skin from where his wounds had been ripped open in his attempt to escape the minotaurs as they had dragged him back to his prison. Black and blues mounted his skin from where they had held him in a hard grip.

Seth held his eyes closed and fought against tears that wouldn't come. The lack of water had dried him up completely. It was a tease to be so near water, surrounded by it, but even then Seth didn't dare try and drink it. Chances were it was poisonous.

A clang echoed from the door and Seth's blood ran cold. His eyes shot open and he turned as Death walked in with the same minotaurs who had locked him into the chair. Seth tried to gather some spit in his mouth, but was once again reminded that he was just about as dry as a raisin.

As Death neared, Seth could see he was holding a jeweled box in his hand. Seth recognized it as the one he had seen the two centaurs pass over to the Society back at Fablehaven. Seth felt a pang in his heart as he remembered the last time he had seen his home.

Without a word, Death stopped in front of Seth and opened the box. From inside it, he grabbed a rock of some kindt, so black, that it seemed like there was nothing there. The only time Seth had seen black like that was when he had seen pictures of black holes in science class and imagined the soul of his math teacher. He wasn't sure which was darker.

"You might recognize the box, I'm holding," Death finally spoke. His voice sent shivers down Seth's back. "It's the one you tried to run off to tell your family about. If I remember correctly, that didn't go that well for you, did it?" Death sneered. Seth glared.

Death brought the black rock close to Seth's face. "This here, is what we call the Phobean. It has the special ability to-"

"How did you know where I was?" Death stopped talking as Seth interrupted him.

"What?"

"In the tunnel. While I was searching for the bathrooms. I was Shadow Walking, but you could see me. How?"

Death leat out a shrill laugh. "I didn't see you, Seth Sorenson. But it seems you have forgotten, that I can hear your thoughts. And at that moment, your thoughts were screaming about escape and pain. A deaf person could have heard them."

Seth cursed to himself. In the confusement of the escape, from the pain and the disorientation of the unfamiliar surroundings, he had indeed forgotten about Death's ability to hear thoughts and had forgotten to try and not to think of anything.

"But don't worry about that. I have other ways to get inside your head. Some are quite literal. Some. . . a little bit more fun. One of them, is what I was trying to introduce to you, before you rudely interrupted me." Death's voice turned dark once more, and Seth shrunk back. "The Phobean. It gets its name from the very thing that it does. It makes one live their biggest fear their worst nightmare. Fear of heights? The Phobean makes you fall off a cliff. You feel everything. You hear everything. And the best part? It all feels real."

Death turned the object in his hand slowly, before grinning at Seth - a horrible sneer revealing his sharp teeth. "Mind giving it a try?"

Seth eyes widened, though he had suspected as much. He pulled against his restraints. "No, please-"

Death pressed the Phobean against Seth's forehead and pain coursed through his body. Seth let out a gut wrenching scream, then fell into darkness.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Warren pulled the car to a stop in front of a cave, next to another SUV. Inside, Kendra saw Trask and Elise, who had opted to join them on the mission.

Kendra stepped out and walked over to the cave entrance. The dark mouth lead into a tunnel down deep into the earth. Above the cave rose a high cliff that ended at the roots of trees.

Kendra gazed into the darkness and took a deep breath. In just a few moments, she would see her brother again. The thought brought a smile onto her lips.

Warren appeared at her side, fastening a sword to his belt. His eyes roamed the cave evaluatively. "This is the place?" he asked. Nobody answered, but since the Knights had all come to the same place in two seperate cars, it seemed it was.

As Warren struggled with his belt, Elise walked over to Kendra and gave her a tight hug. Trask nodded grimly.

Warren finally won the battle with his belt and turned to look at them, clearing his throat to get their attention. "When we go inside, stick together. Remember that Seth was taken by someone, or something. We don't know what. Be prepared for anything and everything." The Knights nodded their understanding. Warren nodded then put on a smile. "Let's go then!" he said lightly and walked into the cave.

The cheeriness in his words would have fooled anyone to think this was a field trip, but though Kendra felt a sense of relief that she was going to find her brother, she couldn't stop but fear what state they might find him in.

Vanessa handed Kendra a flashlight. As she took it, Vanessa grabbed her other hand and gave it a squeeze, accompanied by a small smile. Then she was gone, right after Warren.

Kendra took a deep breath and stepped in.

The darkness was overwhelming. The smell of something rotten filled the air, along with the normal aroma of the damp walls. Kendra hurried forward so that she was between her cousin and friend, while Trask and Elise followed closely behind..

No one said a word, afraid of alerting Seth's abductors. They proceeded down the tunnel in silence.

After a while, the tunnel began to slope down and the walls began morphing into a more square shape. Almost. . . man made.

"Be on guard," Warren whispered lightly.

The others shushed him.

The tunnel leveled out at the bottom and continued on in a straight line. Small stalactites hung from the ceiling, emitting a slight light. The five Knights turned off their flashlights. They could see just fine in the stalactites' light and their flashlights would only alert people of intruders.

Technically Kendra would have been fine without any light, since her Fairykind powers enabled her to see in the dark, but the same didn't apply to her comrades.

Abruptly, the silence was broken by a gut-wrenching scream, so terrible that Kendra wasn't sure whether it was human or not. She really hoped for the latter, because if it was human, there was only one person it could be.

She opened her mouth to scream her brother's name, but Warren quickly clamped a hand over it. Kendra twisted to look at him and saw the Warren's eyes were wide and terrified of what he had just heard. But he gave Kendra a small shake of his head, warning her to stay quiet.

The only advantage they had against the things that had kidnapped Seth, was the element of surprise. Screaming out loud would make their presence known and all would be lost.

Kendra closed her mouth and nodded to Warren, who in turn lowered his hand. They crept forward once again, though at a much faster pace. Whatever was making Seth do that sound must be terrible.

Another scream echoed through the tunnel, more shrill and pained that the previous one, and Kendra couldn't hold herself back anymore. She started forward at a run, towards the sound, her heart pounding with every step. She heard the rest of the Knights behind her, running as well.

The tunnel branched ahead, the tunnel continuing forward or turning to the left. The scream seemed to have come from the left so Kendra rounded the corner, barely stopping in her stride. The tunnel continued for several meters before coming to an opening, and behind it was an open space lit dimly by stalactites.

What she saw inside brought her to a stop.

"_Seth?"_

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When Seth opened his eyes and saw his sister's worried face staring down at him, he was sure it was a dream. Not only was it too good to be true, but Kendra didn't look the way he remembered her. She had large bags under her eyes and her eyes were red, from a lack of sleep or crying, he couldn't tell. This wasn't the Kendra he knew.

It had to be a trick.

"Leave me alone," he croaked. Kendra's face scrunched up in worry.

"Seth, I need you to get up," she said kindly, but forcefully. Seth didn't budge.

Kendra shouted to someone behind her and Warren's face swam into view, as worried as Kendra's.

"Come on, bud. You need to get up. Can you do that for me?" Seth shook his head, and closed his eyes. He didn't have the energy to play Death's tricks.

"There's something wrong with him, Warren," Seth heard Kendra say. "What have they done to him?"

"From the looks of it, nothing good."

"We need to move fast. Whoever did this to him might be coming back any moment," another voice joined in. Seth thought there was something familiar about it, but couldn't remember where he had heard it before.

"Trask is right," another person said. "We need to leave."

Seth cracked his eyes open. Crouched in front of him was Kendra, working feverishly on the chains on his wrists. Warren was doing the same for the ones on his ankles. To the left stood Vanessa, Trask and Elise.

It didn't make sense for them to be there. Seth wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he knew it had been more than several weeks. If his family really had found him, it would have been weeks ago. Not now.

But what if he was wrong and they were really here?

"Is it really you?" Seth whispered. Kendra cupped his cheek.

"Yes. I'm here. I'm here, Seth. And we're going to get you out of here."

Seth sunk into her touch and closed his eyes. It was her. He recognized the smell of her perfume, the very thing he always teased her about, and said that as much as she put it on, it could never cover up how smelly she really was. It was really her.

The chains on his ankles clattered to the ground, soon followed by the ones on his wrists. Seth immediately threw his arms around his sister and pressed his face into the crook of her neck. Dry sobs left his mouth as relief washed over him.

He was getting out of here.

It was going to be okay.

"Can you stand?" Kendra asked him. Seth pushed himself to his feet with great effort, and almost immediately collapsed. With his wounds open from his previous escape attempt, his body was weak and couldn't hold itself up anymore.

He shook his head.

"I'll take him." Trask stepped forward and hoisted Seth up into his arms. Normally, Seth would have felt embarrassed to be carried like a baby, but now he savored the feeling of human contact; something that had been stripped from him for too long a time. His head rested on Trask's shoulder as they moved away from the chair and towards the door.

Kendra stayed right by Trask's side and gripped Seth's hand tightly, speaking reassuring words to him. Those words stopped though, as they stepped out of the door.

Seth turned his head to face what had caused his sister to go silent. There, where the tunnel branched, stood a dozen minotaurs, and in their midst, Death.

Terror shot up Seth's body, sending alarms off in his head. Trask set him down lightly and Kendra rushed to support him.

"Get him out of here," Trask told her, while brandishing his crossbow. "And don't look back."

There was a ring of metal as Warren stepped forward, sword in hand, soon followed by Vanessa with her darts and Elise with her dagger.

"Let us go, Cloak Man, and none of us have to die!" Warren called out to Death, who in turn let out a laugh.

"You'd like it to be that easy wouldn't you. I'm afraid I can't do that. Not only can Seth provide us information, he is also a valuable asset with his powers. Of course, we could capture one of you and torture you as well, but we've almost broken him anyway, so-"

"I think what Warren was trying to say, is that if you don't move your furry butt out of the way, we're going to chop you up like sushi and spear you like a shish kebab," Vanessa interrupted.

Death's face fell. "I will give you a chance to give up the boy, or die a painful death."

"We're not giving up anyone," Elise growled.

Death nodded and the minotaurs stepped forward threateningly. "Then so be it.

The minotaurs rushed forward with angry cries and Seth was wrenched to the right with Kendra. She pressed him close to the wall and began leading him away from the fight. Trask loaded and shot his crossbow and Elise was slashing open flesh with every moment. Warren and Vanessa were making a barrier between the two Sorensons while they moved slowly away from the battle.

Seth turned his head to look at the battle and felt a pang of guilt. They were fighting for him. And he was just useless.

Suddenly, Elise let out a scream and Seth had just enough time to look at her, before one of the minotaurs wrenched its jagged sword out of her chest and continued on, trampling her fallen Knight under his hooves.

"No!" Seth yelled weakly. Kendra dragged him away, but kept glancing back herself, tears streaming down her face.

Seth watched in horror as a minotaur got past Warren's defences and grabbed a fist full of his hair, before bashing him into the wall. Warren't sword clattered to the ground as his grip loosened and his body crumbled to the ground next to it, unmoving. Lifeless.

"Warren!" Vanessa shrieked as her boyfriend fell, and she was momentarily distracted. A minotaur grabbed her by the neck, wrenched her blow darts way and lifted her into the air. Vanessa kicked and struggled against the grip, but couldn't open the minotaurs hand.

The minotaur grinned evilly and squeezed hard. A crack filled the air and Vanessa went limp. The minotaur dropped her and moved on to the last opponent.

Trask was holding off quite well, but even he had limits. Once the minotaur that had killed Vanessa moved to attack him, it was too much. As he turned his back to ward of a hammer, and axe swung from high in the air. Seth quickly turned his head away, but he could hear the squelch as the axe hit it's mark and the thump as another body hit the ground.

"Come on," Kendra told him, pulling him around the corner. "Come on."

But there was no way they were going to make it. The battle had taken no less than a minute, and in that time, Death had calmly moved to the shadows to wait for the right moment to leap. Which was now.

Seth crumpeld to the ground as Death shot out of the shadows and pulled Kendra to the ground.

"No!" Seth screamed and tried to push himself to his feet. Kendra rolled away from under the werewolf, her shirt already stained with blood from where Death's claws had reached flesh. She pulled a dagger from her belt, face furious.

"You're going to pay for what you did to my brother," she growled.

"Kendra, no!" Seth yelled from his position on the ground. "Leave! Run! You have a chance of getting out of here alive! GO!"

But she was too late.

As Seth had spoken, Kendra had shifted her gaze to look at her brother and Death had taken advantage of the distraction. Seth watched in horror as the life went out of his sister's eyes as Death's claws ripped through her chest.

"_**NOOOOO!"**_

Kendra fell limply to the ground, eyes staring blankly into nothing as a pool of blood began forming around her.

Seth dragged himself forward and reached out towards Kendra's dagger, but Death quickly flicked it away out of Seth' reach.

Sobs racked Seth's body as he stared at his sister, now dead because of him.

Death spoke calmly, blood dripping off his claws. "This is what happens, Seth, when you love people. They give everything to save you. . . and you end up getting them killed. You have only yourself to blame for what has happened here."

And with that Seth was being dragged across the ground by his arm, back towards his prison, no different from a few hours ago. Except now, he was forced to look at the bleeding forms of his family and friends. Warren's bloody face, Vanessa's bruised neck, Elise's trampled body and Trask's still body, aze still embedded in his back.

Seth sobbed and screamed, kicked and screamed words he couldn't understand. He cursed Death, cursed all the minotaur, threatened them, all the while sobbing. As he was strapped back into the metal chair and left alone, Seth didn't hold back anything anymore.

Wails of grief echoed around the cavern, magnified by the water and hard walls. Seth felt as his heart was being torn to pieces, guilt ripping him apart from the inside. They were all dead. Because of him. Because he had been too weak. Because he hadn't fought enough. Because he wasn't enough.

Images of their bloodied bodies filled his mind. He saw Warren get bashed against the wall repeatedly, the spray of blood as his skull was smashed to pieces. He heard the crack of Vanessa's neck as it was crushed to bits. He saw the way Elise was trampled into nothing by the hooves of the minotaurs and how Trask lay on the ground, a shell of who he had once been.

_All your fault._

_Your fault._

_Your fault._

_You killed them._

_You killed them._

_YOU KILLED THEM!_

Seth let out a scream so fierce he could swear the ground shook around him. Maybe the cavern would collapse and bury him underneath it. It didn't matter. The weight of the earth was nothing compared to the guilt he would have to carry for the rest of his life, however short it may be.

Then something happened. The world fell into darkness and Seth felt as if he were falling. And suddenly he was back in the metal chair, except Death was standing in front of him with two minotaurs, retracting the Phobean from Seth's forehead.

"Interesting," Death said. Seth breathed heavily, glancing around him. "Your worst fear is having your family die because of you."

"What?" Seth breathed. Then it dawned on him. It wasn't real. Nothing that had just happened was real. It was just like Death had said. The Phobean made you go through your worst fears, live through your worst possible nightmare. And Seth had just gone through his. Having his family die because of him.

Death let out a laugh that made Seth's blood run cold.

"It works beautifully," he celebrated, then leaned closer to Seth. "How was it? Did you enjoy it?"

Seth rudely told him where he could shove his precious Phobean. But Death seemed only amused by this.

"Surely we have seen that it works. But we must try at least a few more times to see it works properly, am I right?" he said. Seth's heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach. No. He was not going through that again. Not again. Please not again.

He didn't even realize he was speaking the words aloud before Death stretched out the Phobean once more. "Don't worry Seth. It's only a matter of time before the Phobean drives you insane. But until then… how about we have some fun?"

The Phobean connected with Seth's forehead once more and the world fell into darkness.

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"Seth?" Kendra called out as she stepped into the open area.

It wasn't as large as she thought, only some ten meters long. Kendra spotted something along the back wall, and switched on her flashlight. Once it lit up the being, she quickly diverted the beam and switched the flashlight off. But it was too late.

"Who goes there," boomed a low voice as the demon rose to its feet angrily. Spikes adorned the large figure, bulky with muscles. Large fangs rose from the demons mouth, nearly poking it's eyes out as they carved back. Kendra stumbled back into Warren who had entered right behind her.

"No one?" Warren replied.

The demon let out a roar and rushed forward. Kendra turned around and pushed Warren into the tunnel. "Run!" she screamed as the demon rumbled after them, the ground shaking with each step. Kendra had been running track for the last few months after Zzyzx, but she hadn't had much of a chance to run uphill, so her progress wasn't very fast as the tunnel began rising.

"Come on, we're not staying for a tea party!" Warren urged her on, pulling her from the hand.

"Trespassers!" the demon howled. "I'll skin you alive!"

That plan wasn't going to play out that well, Kendra thought, as she shot out of the cave and she demon slid to a stop only several feet behind her, stopped by an invisible barrier keeping it inside the cave.

Though she was happy to be alive, Kendra's heart was breaking. The dark magic the fairies had detected must have been the demon, not Seth. Kendra hadn't seen any sign of her brother in the cave, and chances were that even if he'd been there, the demon would have killed him by know.

Kendra decided that it was a much better alternative that he was still out there, rather than dead. Little did she know, her brother was wishing the exact opposite.


End file.
